Cranberry scoops or shovels are known, and are now obsolete. These are essentially a shovel with an array of teeth or spikes at the outer end. The scoop is thrust into the vines below the fruit and agitated, by twisting, pushing in and out, and shaking from side to side, etc. The fruit falls into the scoop.
A number of experimental mechanized cranberry pickers are discussed in a publication entitled "Fresh Fruit Harvesting and Handling Project, Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc." by H. Willett & Associates, of Jeanerette, La., Sept. 1989. These pickers had a fruit picking head, conveyor(s), and a storage hopper or bin on the machine.
One picker [aluminum head 1987] has a horizontal array of fixed round 1/2 inch tines, brushes mounted above the tines on an conveyor push the vines down onto the tines, which comb off the fruit. The brushes then carried the fruit up the tines to the back of the head, where apparently a first cross conveyor carried the fruit to a second upward conveyor dropping the fruit into a hopper. The machine had a rigid chassis. The round tines did not damage the small amount of fruit picked. The brush arrangement was found to be too heavy, while the brushes tended to push down the vines ahead of the tines. The head was difficult to raise and lower and the machine was difficult to maneuver.
A second head for the same machine of pvc plastic [2nd head 1987], had the brush conveyor extending forward and above the tines, to first raise the vines to get the fruit above the tines. This was better at fruit pick up, but still hard to operate and control the head.
A tricycle picker (1987) was tried with a third head with round tines and a reel type vine lifter and a central conveyor to the storage hopper. It did not work too well, but did not damage the fruit picked. The unit was hard to control. The chassis was modified to four wheels, the head was modified slightly (1987). Picking did not improve but handling did.
A modified picker head [May 1988 dry run test] had round tines and a forward brush arrangement, which lifted the vines ahead of the tines and carried the fruit up the tines. A single central conveyor fed the hopper. A spring test picked up berries on the ground and stones. A vacuum or suction fan device was used to remove trimming and leaves from the conveyor discharge.
All the preceding heads incorporated large circular saw blades to prune the vines, above the tines.
Another picking head [1988 combine] was designed with flat tines, brush conveyor forward of the tines and sickle bar pruners behind the tines. The brushes lifted the vines but pruned vines tended to jam in the tines. Fruit pick up was better, but still left too much fruit. The pruners did not work as well as hoped.
A modified version [modified #1 combine 1988] with flat tines, pick up reel forward and above the tines to lift the vines, circular saw blade pruners forward and above the tines, and brush conveyor.
This version was remodified [1989 combine] using round tines 3/8 inch, pick up reel, circular saw blade pruners and brush conveyor.
As may be seen several fruit pickers are known.
It is an object of the invention to provide an improved fruit picker. Other objects are hereinafter apparent from the description, claims, and drawings.